Photo
by Procrastination Fairy
Summary: This year, determined not to look like a dork on his ID, Mamoru goes to a professional. He doesn't expect Usagi to be there taking pictures with her family.


**Believe it or not, I was taking a family photo and playing with the toddler toy and came up with this.**

Whenever the new school year rolled around and he had to get a new school ID, Mamoru cursed Azabu. For such a prestigious school, it was pretty cheap. Not in tuition cost of course. Mamoru paid a pretty penny to go there. It was cheap in that you had to bring your own photo for the ID.

Most students would just dig out their old cameras and snap a quick pictures, but after a few previous incidents (and a lot of teasing from Motoki) Mamoru decided he would go to a professional. So the orphan Chiba dug out his best clothes and, after ironing them, hurried to a supermarket photo shop. He hadn't expected to see a bored Usagi sitting with her family. It surprised him how little he knew about her. She had a brother who looked uncomfortable standing there with his shirt tucked in, a mother who was fussing with her two children's clothes despite that they'd already taken their photos, and a father constantly asking everyone's opinions.

Usagi herself was playing with a little kid toy—the one for toddlers with beads on wires that they pushed back and forth, a rather boring one in his opinion. Usagi did exactly what it was intended to be used for and she examined each piece carefully. Then she moved them until it was all equal. She didn't notice Mamoru. Tucking a piece of hair (which he noticed was down and hung a few inches past her butt) behind her ear and pulling the strap of her flowery pink dress up, she was concentrating very intently. Then, in a swift jerky movement, as if she could sense his gaze, Usagi was staring right at him. He was caught in her wide, innocent gaze.

Until she jumped up and said something to her mother. Then she turned and walked his way.

"Hello, Mamoru," said the rabbit in a honeysuckle voice with a sweet smile. "Don't be confused by my tone. I can't let my mom think I'm being mean. I'm still going to insult you though."

He chuckled. "You are something else, Odango."

"Than what?" she asked.

Mamoru stared.

Usagi continued, "You said I'm something else. Else than what?" It dawned on her. "Oh. It's an expression."

He tried not to laugh at her blush.

"So what are you doing here? Taking a picture alone?" she asked snidely.

Mamoru shook his head, ready to prove her wrong. He replied, "No. School ID. Our school is too cheap to pay for pictures so we have to bring our own."

Usagi was looking at him with envy. "Lucky! Our school just takes cheap photos. Like, they're really bad. They don't move ever and it cut my head off. Me! Itty bitty Usagi! And then they won't let me wear my buns_ or_ my broach or even a sweater," she grumbled. Mamoru smiled. She really was too cute for her own good. He wondered if maybe someday someone would try to steal her away.

"They're just trying to keep people like you from breaking the camera with their fashion choices," he teased.

Usagi's eyes widened and her nostrils flared. He laughed. She huffed and pulled up the straps of her dress (it was drifting to low again. Not that he minded). Usagi attempted to tossed some of her hair behind her head but it was too long and got caught on her shoulder. Mamoru smiled. She was really too cute for her own good, no matter how much he said that. Usagi stuck out her tongue and stormed off toward her family. He watched as her brother said something that clearly ruffled her feathers. Mamoru tried not to smile anymore lest he be considered strange.

Usagi leaned over and said something to the saleswoman. She started to explain something back to the student. Mamoru leaned back and waited his turn. He looked at the packages and decided what to buy. It was too bad they didn't have single pictures. He'd rather have a picture of Usagi than a bunch of his own.

"Hello, sir, how can we help you today?" asked the saleswoman that had been with the Tsukino family.

Mamoru started. "Er, uh, I need a picture for my school ID. And, uh, could you maybe see if I could get some pictures of the girl who was just here? The one in the pink dress?"

The photographer froze, her eyes wide. "You two know each other?"

Mamoru nodded.

"I feel bad now," she said. "That girl asked if she could buy one of the pictures you took."


End file.
